CHAPTER IV
SINCE THERE HAS BEEN MUCH CONTROVERSY from time to time about the first oil well,
it seems advisable at this point to reproduce an article written some years ago by Captain John W. Tuttle of Monticello
and published in the Signal. This article,
written by an expert claim and title attorney, was the result of exhaustive research, and the name of Captain Tuttle
is a guarantee of honesty. Therefore, it would seem that the claim of Wayne to the distinction of having the first
oil strike made in her borders is substantiated.
THE BEATY SALT WELL
By J. W. Tuttle
The close of the War of 1812 found all the industries of the new Republic so prostrated and paralyzed that the
simplest necessaries of life were only to be obtained upon payment of fabulous prices.
The item of salt alone, which was more indispensable than any other manufactured product, was especially scarce
and high. With the return of peace came a revival of its manufacture, however, under the stimulus of the fabulous
prices prevailing—$25.00 per barrel for salt. Every salt spring and well was being worked to its utmost capacity
to supply the demand. Not only this, but new sources were as eagerly sought as was ever the fountain of youth.
The Legislature of the Commonwealth of Kentucky had to come to the relief of the public, and passed acts to encourage
the manufacture of salt, January 31, 1811; February 2, 1813; December 22, 1814; and January 3, 1817. Thus it came
to pass that, during the summer of 1817, John Francis and Richard Slavey, both of Wayne County, Kentucky, and Stephen
T. Conn,a salt worker of Abingdon, Virginia, jointly began boring and blowing and making experiments and trials
for salt water on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, opposite the mouth of Bear Creek in Wayne County,
Kentucky, claiming to own by entry 1,000 acres of land which included the place where they were boring, lying part
in Whitley and part in Wayne County, Kentucky, founding their title upon Acts of the Legislature of Kentucky, passed
to encourage the manufacture of salt.
Said Francis and Slavey, owners of said entry, after successfully manufacturing 1,000 bushels of salt from brine
obtained thereon, were to pay into the State Treasury, $10 per 100 acres for title in fee to said land.
After a fair supply of brine was encountered in the well, Martin Beaty, of Abingdon, Virginia, September 19, 1817,
bought of John Francis, his undivided one-third interest in said land and business, upon the advice of expert Stephen
T. Conn.
Shortly afterwards, and perhaps on the same day, Stephen T. Conn who already owned a one-third interest, purchased
the right and interest of Richard Slavey, an undivided one-third interest in said land and business.
On or about the same date, Martin Beaty and Lilburn L. Henderson, both of Abingdon, Virginia, purchased the said
undivided interest bought by the said Conn from the said Slavey, from the said Conn.
Conn, Henderson, and Beaty, September 19, 1817, entered into a contract of co-partnership, by the terms of which
the 1,000-acre tract of land and business was to be considered as joint stock and held in common, each one-third,
and that all the expenses incurred in preparing to manufacture salt and in manufacturing were to be borne jointly
by the three; and said Beaty and Henderson were to bear the expense of procuring the legal title; also they were
to pay balance of purchase money due to Francis and Conn, Beaty to pay Francis and Henderson to pay Conn.
The business was therefore conducted in the name of Conn, Henderson, and Beaty, as a co-partnership. Conn assumed
control as active agent of the firm. Merchandise to the amount of $2,000.00 and "metal for boiling,"
to the amount of $1,000.00, was shipped to the works soon thereafter, and the town location was styled Saltville.
An increased flow of brine, by deeper drilling, hurried Conn to Abingdon for the purpose of notifying his partners
in interest, in November, 1817. Salt was manufactured up to 1840, when the works shut down permanently.
In December, 1817, Martin Beaty of Abingdon, Virginia, purchased of John Francis, who had entered and surveyed
December 24, 1817 (Surveyor's Book No. 1, Page 370, Wayne County, Kentucky, records), 1,000 acres of land lying
and being on the South Fork of Cumberland River, three miles above the mouth of Bear Creek, adjoining the South
Fork, the 1,000-acre survey, known as the Beaty Salt Well Tract, upon which there was also a prospect of obtaining
salt water, for which Beaty executed to him the notes of the firm.
It being not deemed important to take 1,000 acres under said warrant, only 727 acres were surveyed and afterwards
(December 28, 1821) patented, founding their title under Act of the Legislature of Kentucky, passed February 2,
1813, to encourage the manufacturing of salt, Martin Beaty, John H. Fulton, and Lilburn L. Henderson, patentees.
This tract became known later as the "Beaty Oil Well Tract."
This 727-acre tract of land was demised, leased, and let to Marcus Huling and ------ Zimmerman, both of Pennsylvania,
but later from Lee County, Virginia, near Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, after fashion of "wild catters"
of all ages, for the purpose of operating thereon for salt water, upon a royalty, or rather "rental"
as then called.
The majesty of the law was invoked to settle a dispute as to the title of this tract, but pending litigation the
well was drilled by lessee.
At a depth of 536 feet, a veritable "gusher" of petroleum "burst into view" described by an
eye witness as follows:
"A stream of oil and carburetted hydrogen was entered which ascended the orifice, pervaded the atmosphere,
ran down the bank and spread over the river—but subsequently caught fire and was only checked by throwing sand
in the well and plugging the hole."
Petroleum being then of little or no value, the work was abandoned.
Here is another account of the well from the pen of William Bibb, at one time, a half century ago, Governor of
Ohio:
"In the valley of the South Fork in early times, were worked Beaty's Salt Wells. Boring one well a little
deeper, oil was struck which overflowed at such a rate as to ruin the little salt works. The value of the oil being
then unknown, the well was stopped up to prevent the ‘nuisance.’"
The following is from the Cincinnati Gazette, December
9, 1865:
'The product of the Beaty Oil Well is estimated
at 100 barrels per day, but the well is plugged because the oil cannot profitably be removed until navigation of
the Big South Fork is opened."
During the summer of 1819, Martin Beaty won the suit to quiet the title to said 727-acre tract, and finally ousted
Huling and Zimmerman. The tract thereafter merged into the assets of the firm of Conn, Henderson, and Beaty.
Nothing daunted, HuJing and Zimmerman, with the sublime faith in the wisdom of the Creator, which believes that
nothing was made in vain, after being satisfied that the product of the salt water well was either "tar or
grease and worth money," soon perfected plans for marketing a sample of the product (now locally known as
"Devil's Tar") by the South Fork and Cumberland River route.
A number of stout barrels were manufactured, and two of them filled with the "tar," were lashed to a
perve—a sort of "dugout"—and started down the river on a medium high tide in charge of two experienced
fishermen, Pierson Watson and John Spradling.
While passing through the "narrows" in Devil's Jump the perve dashed to pieces on the rocks—the barrels
burst, and the "crew of the vessel" made a narrow escape with their lives by climbing the huge rocks
in midstream from whence they were afterwards rescued.
Nothing daunted, Huling and Zimmerman made another attempt to ship the product
of the well.
Watson and Spradling were again placed in charge of a perve, newly and specially made for the trip. Two barrels
of tar were lashed to the perve, one on each side, as before, with instructions to land near the head of Devil's
Jump and take one barrel at a time through the Narrows. When in sight of Devil's Jump, the vessel became unmanageable
in the swift current and dashed to pieces on the rocks, the same as before. Watson, being a poor swimmer, narrowly
escaped drowning. Shipment by river was thereafter abandoned.
Messrs. Huling and Zimmerman were positive in their opinions that the "Devil's Tar" had an intrinsic
value—latent they admitted, of course—but they reasoned that as God had made it (as they believed) it was good
for something, and they wanted to know what that something was.
Barrels of the tar were thereafter carted to the neighboring towns and villages and sold to merchants who in turn
disposed of it to manufacturers of British Oil, Seneca Oil, Mustang Liniment, etc.
The drilling had been done with pole and augur, 5-inch hole, and at a depth of 536 feet oil was struck.
To Marcus Huling, of Pennsylvania, and to Andrew Zimmerman, a Pennsylvania Dutchman, belongs the honor of being
the principals in the drama, "The First Oil Strike." This well, drilled in 1819, an oil "gusher"
77 years ago, was not only the first oil well drilled in the United States, but the first in the world.
Near the site of the old salt well are the ruins of an old mill. The mill stone is about all that remains. There
has been some effort to interest various organizations in re-opening and improving the old road and placing a memorial
to Martin Beaty on the spot. W. A. Kinne, of the Steams Lumber Company, is much interested in this project.
THE NEAL WELL
Fulton, Beaty, Ingram, all of Abingdon, Virginia; Irvine and Zimmerman, originally from Pennsylvania, and later
from Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, in order to get an increased supply of salt water for the Salt Works at Saltville,
in 1820 employed a contractor, John Neal, from Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, to put down a well on the east side of
the South Fork near the mouth of Bear Creek, the consideration being in part payment, a Negro boy named "Surk,"
a slave.
Isaac Powell and Mike Castello were the "blowers for the large hole for the crib" and afterwards worked
as drillers. James and Tommy Ryan, then sixteen years old, were employed as assistants. The Negro boy "Surk"
also worked on the well, which transferred him to Neal—a singular example of the irony of fate.
Mr. Thomas Ryan, now deceased, was a hale and hearty old man only a few years ago, living on Marsh Creek, Whitley
County, Kentucky.
He remembered that when they drilled five feet in one day they thought they were doing extremely well and "knocked
off" and went "a-fishing."
Mrs. Ryan's memory tallies with that of Mrs. Cynthia Baker of Oneida, Tennessee, who well remembers the Neal well
and the Negro "Surk" and how Johnnie Neal brought her a little salt one time as a present.
"The Neal Well" was finished in the latter part of 1820, and produced a fair supply of salt water, but
the brine was so badly "tainted" with "Devil's Tar" it had to be abandoned.
The Conn well bored in 1822 by and for Stephen T. Conn of Abingdon, Virginia, for salt further down the South Fork,
near where the road from Monticello to Williamsburg crosses the river, below the mouth of Rock Creek, in Wayne
County, proved to be an "oil well" and subsequently abandoned on account of the superabundance of oil.
Huling and Slaughter, also Huling and Napper, in 1823 and 1824, bored for salt water in Casey County, Kentucky.
Thomas Ryan and Davenport Brothers also bored for salt water in 1824 in Casey County,
Kentucky, on the Little Fork. Drilling being very hard—one foot per day on an average— work was abandoned.
Later on other wells were drilled near Liberty, Casey County, Kentucky.
Kentucky Land Grants compiled by Willard
Rouse Jillson gives this item:
"Martin Beaty—Big South Fork—1817—100 Acres."
Martin Beaty first came to Wayne County in 1817 and bought land on the South Fork. He operated salt works, boring
wells on his land. In 1824 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1832 he was Presidential elector on the Whig
ticket of Clay and Sergeant. Again in 1839 he was elector on the Harrison and Granger ticket. He was elected to
Congress in 1833 as a Whig and was elected State Representative in 1848.
He was chairman of the first Board of Common School Commissioners in Wayne from 1837 to 1847.
He died at the home of his daughter in Owsley County in 1856.
Beattyville in Lee County was named for his family who were from Abingdon, Virginia.
